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Multicultural Children’s Book Day is nearly here!

MCCBD2016 Sponsor and multicultural publisher Lee and Low, since it’s inception, has been committed to multicultural and diverse literature for children. We are honored to have them as a Silver Sponsor of this year Multicultural Children’s Book Day

What if the objects we love most in our lives i.e. blankets, stuffed animals, dolls, toys etc could be creatively used, recycled, and treasured so that they’d never leave us?

Maya’s Blanket by Monica Brown and illustrated by Caldecott winning artist David Diaz is such a tale.

This is a bilingual book. The left hand page is in English with some key Spanish words, and the right hand page is in Spanish. David Diaz does a magnificent job in portraying the story in his artwork of vibrant colors and wonderful character drawings.

From the loving hands of her grandmother, Maya receives a magical blanket that keeps bad dreams away. As she loves and uses her blanket, it becomes frayed so Maya and her grandmother transform the blanket into a dress which she ends up spilling red juice on. From here Maya’s blanket is progresses through a series of other items such as a skirt, shawl, scarf, hair ribbon, and finally a bookmark. When at last even the magical bookmark is lost, all that is left are her memories of her magical blanket and all of it repurposed glory. So Maya wrote a book to capture and hold her treasures in.

Maya’s Blanket is a Junior Library Guild Selection. We’re honored to have the Junior Library Guild sponsor this year’s Multicultural Children’s Book Day Classroom Challenge. Teachers, we’re giving away a beautiful FREE hard-covered book to your classroom. Have a look here to find out how you can bring a Junior Library Guild Selection to your classroom.

Something To Do

 

In the world of Jordan College at Oxford, Lyra Delaqua’s life is more than simple. She shares many adventures with her daemon Pantalaimon and her best friend Roger. She occasionally learns from the scholars, but only when she’s in the right mood. She’s neither a peasant nor a noble child.

However, this simplicity only lasts until she catches the Master of Jordan trying to poison her nobleman uncle, Lord Asriel. This sets off a series of events that wrenches Lyra from her careless life at Oxford.

Lord Asriel is the first to introduce the aspect of Dust to her, something that he believes can only be found in the north, the place she desires to go more than anywhere else on planet. Thoughts of the great, white north race through her mind on a daily basis. This could be her chance—to travel to the north with her scholarly uncle to help him discover this so called dust.

But events are set in place to keep this from happening. Children are disappearing from Oxford. No one knows where they go or what happens to them once they are gone. All they know is who is taking them—the Gobblers. But the gobblers are faceless, and day by day, more children and their daemons are disappearing from all over the world.

After Lyra’s uncle has departed for his journey into the north, Lyra is introduced to the charming and graceful Mrs. Coulter, who intrigues Lyra so that she agrees to go with Mrs. Coulter and her eerie golden monkey to become her assistant, learn the ways of traveling, and venture into the north.But before Lyra leaves Jordan College, she is called to the Master who gives her a curious device called an alethiometer—a truth measurer. He gives her no information—not how to read, nor why he is giving it to her. He only emphasizes the great need to keep it secret.

For the first few weeks with Mrs. Coulter, Lyra’s life is drastically improved. She dresses well, bathes frequently. She learns about geography, cartography, and every other “ography.” But dark secrets are soon revealed—secrets of Dust, something called the Oblation board, and possibly what is happening to the children snatched up by the Gobblers. Lyra escapes from Mrs. Coulter just barely, and on her journey to find truth and her friend Roger, she encounters and learns more than she could ever imagine including Lord Faa and Farder Coram of the water-bound gyptians, Lee Scoresby the hot air balloon pilot from Texas, Serafina Pekkala—queen of a tribe of witches–, and Iorek Byrnison, an exiled bear prince from Svalbard. Together this ragtag band of determined allies travel into the north, discover the secret of the Gobblers, and many more secrets that even the alethiometer kept hidden.

• Remote Islands in Norway
•              Scotland
•             Canada
•             Greenland
•             Finland
•             Iceland
•             Sweden

(and my Head Elf, Becky, tells me that Northern Minnesota should be added to this list!

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Do your young readers love nature and all of nature’s critters? Experience the magical story of a family of foxes that took up residence right in the front yard of the author and publisher, Valarie Budayr. The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes Came to our Garden offers an enthusiastically educational opportunity to observe this fox family grow and learn together.

From digging and hunting to playing and resting, this diary shares a rare glimpse into the private lives of Momma Rennie and her babies. Come watch as they navigate this wildly dangerous but still wonderful world. Great to share with your children or students, The Fox Diaries speaks to the importance of growing and learning both individually and as a family unit. It is a perfect book for story time or family sharing. Not only can you read about the daily rituals of this marvelous fox family, there is an information-packed resource section at the end of the book that includes lots of facts and even a few “fox movies” that you can enjoy with your family. Grab your copy of this beautiful and inspiring book HERE.

The post The Golden Compass Book Review and Activities for Young Readers appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

**Guest post by Hannah Rials

The Little Red Hen by Mary Finch

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The lazy rooster and mischievous mouse can’t be bothered to help the Little Red Hen tend her ear of wheat. They can’t be bothered to help her take it to the miller either, or bake it into bread. But when her loaf of warm, fragrant bread is ready, the Little Red Hen is not at all inclined to share it with them. The rooster and the mouse soon mend their ways!-Amazon

My Summary:

A rooster, a mouse, and a little red hen all lived together in a small barn. When the hen finds a grain of wheat, she decides to plant it, unfortunately without the help of her friends. Each time, she asks for their help in the next step to making bread, and each time they respond, “Not I!” Undaunted, the little red hen makes bread all by herself, and when the time comes to enjoy her delicious creation, she refuses to let her friends taste it. They did not help, so they do not get to try the bread. This teaches them a lesson. When it was time to plant again, the mouse and rooster helped with everything, and they all enjoyed the warm, tasty bread together!

My Opinion:

This wonderful retelling of Margarot Zemoch’s The Little Red Hen is beautiful, clearly displaying the lesson of working together. The lovely illustrations are unique and extremely appealing. Included is a story CD narrated by actress Debra Messing and a recipe to make your own delicious bread! Enjoy!

Something to Do Crafts:

Create own Your Little Red Hen (Using a Red Solo Cup) using the instructions from River’s Edge Curriculum

Create Bread Dough Animals- Using the bread recipe in the back of the book, make your dough into fun shapes. (like our dragon bread featured HERE).

3. Plant Your Own Red Hen Wheat in these Dirt Cups with Wheat Hair:

Remember planting grass seeds in a cup of dirt, and when the grass was grown, drawing faces on the cups and pretending the grass was hair. Same idea, just plant wheat seeds to grow hair of gold.

Born in the hills of Louisiana and raised in the mountains of Tennessee, Hannah Rials is an eighteen year old aspiring author and editor. Now a freshman in college, she’s been writing short stories since she was a little girl, but for the past several years, she has been writing, editing, and re-editing a novel of her own that will soon be published by Audrey Press. Hannah has always loved reading and the world of books. With a librarian grandmother who can tell the most magical stories, how could she not fall in love with the written word? Her library collection and love for books grows every day.

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The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook: The Simple Step-by-Step guide to creating a Waldorf-inspired #homeschool. And for a limited time, this best-selling book by Donna Ashton, The Waldorf #Homeschool Handbook is now only $17.95 until May 31st, 2015 ! http://amzn.to/1OhTfoT

Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. AND, it’s on sale for a limited time! Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” http://amzn.to/1DTVnuX

Your choice, $17.95 each!

The post The Little Red Hen by Mary Finch {Guest Post by Hannah Rials} appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Inspired by a medieval legend about the Jewish poet Samuel Ha-Nagid, “never say a Mean Word Again” by Jacqueline Jules, and Durga Yael Bernhard, is a wonderfully crafted story about two little boys, one Jewish and one Muslim, who try to settle their differences.

This light-hearted look at a very serious problem of name calling. After a series of accidental events, Hamza (the muslim boy), calls Saumuel, (the jewish boy) some very unkind names.

Samuel’s father, the grand vizier, noticed this and mentioned that Hama said some very unkind things. Samuel wanted his father to punish Hamza but the wise Vizier said, “No, I’ll let you punish him yourself. Make sure he never says a mean word to you again.”

As Samuel laid in his bed he thought of several very unkind things he could do to Hamza to punish him for his unkind words.

Settling on one punishment in particular, Samuel arrives at Hamza’s door with a lemon. Mahza thinking Samuel had come to help clean his shirt clearly stated that the lemon wouldn’t help so they ended up playing catch with it instead.

The next day Samuel arrived at Hamza’s house with a pen and paper. He would make him write a formal apology then he would have something to show his father the Vizier. But then they just ended up coloring instead.

Day after day this continued. Each time Samuel thought up a “new punishment”, the ended up playing together. This created a great dilemma for Samuel. What was he going to do to show his father that he had punished Hamza and that he would never say a mean word to him again ?

The entire story as well as the ending of this book is completely charming and engaging on many levels. The art is beautiful and deepens the story with it’s beautiful colors. The print is big and easy to follow and the whole feel of the book is welcoming. The best thing of this book is it’s message. Though the intention to do something unkind to Hamza to return his unkindness was clearly there, Hamza never say any unkindness coming towards him. He only say a new friend instead. It is a beautiful story of conflict resolution perfectly told. This book is out on the coffee table where it is picked up often by family and visitors alike. I’m so glad this book exist. It is an invaluable tool to teaching children how to deal with conflict in kind ways.

Something to Do:

The problem starts when Hamza views Samuel’s clumsy actions as mean intended. So to return Samuel’s unkindness, Hamza calls him mean names. Samuel then feels its his turn to show unkindness but it always unfolds into kindness. How can we do this in our own lives? How can we turn unkindness into kindness.

Let’s start with the way we speak. Here’s a few nice things to say to people whenever you should encounter them.

• Hi my name is______ what’s yours?
• Can I help you?
• What’s your favorite color?
• Say thank-you
• I’m sorry.
• I forgive you
• Please
• I’m glad you’re my friend.
• You’re awesome
• I like you
• That’s Incredible !!
• Want to play?
• Want to play: Charades, hop scotch,board game, cards, Hide & Seek, Simon Says, 20 questions, I spy, Catch?
• Awesome

Along with kind words, we can also choose not to view someone’s unkindness as unkindness but an invitation to play. If someone should say something unkind, compliment them on something and then include them in an activity.

Please note that I’m referring to simple childhood disagreements and not full on bullying which is a much bigger problem and is dealt with differently. It’s my hope that simple kind actions when children are small will provide them with the tools they need to deal with conflicts in a kind way as they grow as opposed to aggression.

Along the same lines of this whole post is a free gift I would like to offer my readers! “Conditions of the Heart” is a FREE kids activity book filled with fun activities & crafts that teaches values and conduct. Grab your copy HERE:

Need gift ideas for Christmas? Give the gift of education and guidance with Donna Ashton’s The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook Now available through Audrey Press Books!

The post Want to Put an End to Name Calling ? Never Say a Mean Word Again appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

The Memory of an Elephant: An Unforgettable Journey by Sophie Strady {Guest post by Hannah Rials}

Marcel is a very old elephant. He has done and seen a lot in his many years, and as he begins his day, the day of his birth, he is reminded of all the things he has done. We get to travel with him as he remembers his tuba-playing years, also called the helicon. You can tell how much he has traveled by the variety of foods set out at his table. Through Marcel’s amazing memory, we learn about his days in “Marcel’s Magical Tour.” He traveled all over the world by becoming a mariner on a ship that traveled to Asia and then the rest of the way around the world! He now retires in Paris, a beautiful city. He experienced the worker strikes and unrest throughout the country. And now, he is celebrating his birthday with all of the friends he has met along his amazing life journey.

The Memory of an Elephant is an amazing picture book! I’ve never seen anything quite like it! Along with Marcel’s wonderful story, we also are treated by HUNDREDS of facts that pertain to Marcel’s life. Facts about elephants, animals, foods, ships, plants—everything under the sun! For instance, did you know that Elephants are actually afraid of bees, not mice? I didn’t! The back of the book also shares a crepe recipe along with tons of more fun facts to fill your mind with!

Something to Do

1. Buy the book and make “La Crepe Marcelette” (with bananas) from the recipe that is included in the book. It’s a great way to educate young connoisseurs about the delicious definitions of things like crème caramel, brioche, dôme au chocolat and floating island!  I’m sure you won’t regret it.

2. Make a towel elephant to help you remember your stories! Check out this fun activity from TwentyTwoWords.

3. Make a Memory Box so you’ll never forget anything!

You’ll need:

• a wooden case or chest.
• Paint of whatever color! I saw some pretty pastel yellows and blues
• Black paint
• Letter stencils
• Paint brushes

What to do:

-Paint the chest/case your base color and let it dry overnight.

-The next day, come up with what you want to label the chest as. I went to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland this summer, so I would label it as such.

-Line your stencils up straight, you might want to use a ruler.

-Paint your letters and let dry!

*You can add decorations if you want, just let everything dry first.

-Throw every memory for this particular occasion into the box—ticket stubs, pamphlets, pictures, posters, anything! Now you’ll never forget.

The post “Memory of an Elephant?” It’s True! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

I’d like to thank authors Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta for sharing their book The Diwali Gift with me.

In the Diwali Gift , three curious monkeys, Suno, Dekho, and Jaano get together for a playdate when a mysterious box from their grandmother appears.

What could be inside ?

Sparklers ? Bracelets ? Small lights known as divas?

No none of the above.

Inside is something very special to use on the night of Diwali. A special something which grants the owner their wishes to come true.  To find out what the special something is, you’ll have to read the book.

This book is a simple and lovely story that invites us to share in the Hindu festival of Diwali. The Diwali Gift is fun, entertaining, and wonderfully educational. One truly feels the spirit, anticipation and festive feeling of the holiday.

From Wikipedia:

“Diwali also known as Deepavali and the “festival of lights”, is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November.

Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After puja (prayers), fireworks follow, then a family feast including mithai (sweets), and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Diwali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.”

The illustrations by Anna Koan are fun and captivating.  There is a glossary in the back of the book as well as an explanation of Diwali and how one celebrates it.

I advise reading the glossary before hand so you can clarify the story when reading it to children.  I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Somethings To Do:

Kim Vij  from The Educator’s Spin on it has some really wonderful Diwali Activities.

Have a look at how the Activity Village celebrated Diwali.

3 Curious Monkey’s has a wonderful Dress Up Party app on iTunes

The post The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta Book Review & Activities appeared first on Jump Into A Book.